Manager Paul Lambert

[VillaCas]

You seem to have cooked up a worthless distinction in order to avoid addressing the fact that our CBs aren't good enough and Lambert didn't replace our outgoing ones.

You're an idiot - your point was that Herd and Lowton were not good enough to be back-up CBs. I responded that they were emergency CBs because the other FOUR CBs we had were injured. But out of interest who would you have picked if not Herd and Lowton?

[VillaCas]

Mcleish kept us up - success

Says it all - your posts are worthless

[Folski]

Way I see it is Lambert came in had a quick look at what was here and what they were earning a week and as a result got rid of Collins, and told Hutton, Dunne & Warnock to find new clubs. He has since ( I hope ) had a proper look at the other players in the squad of which are not on as big wages, I hope he gets rid of as many of these as possible as soon as possible. We have a shell of a first eleven at the moment, we need players big time.

[Woodytom]

GMAC had us 9th - success

Mcleish kept us up - success

Lambert taking us down

Not even a reply that is it. Just pure nonsence

[UpTheVilla26]

IMO he is one of the top 10 managers operating in the premiership. Given time he will prove that.

I don't beleive he is either a top 4 manager or the best young manager of our generation - if he were he wouldnt be at Villa.

I think he is a top 10 manager. Thats my opinion

So you're in charge of Villa - you sack Lambert, who will you appoint? Steve Bruce? Curbishley?

Jose Mourinho could'nt have turned round the disaster PL inherited in one window

So you THINK he's a top 10 manager. Trouble is, you have no concrete evidence to back up your opinion.

Whereas I think he's shyte - and believe me, the evidence is stacking up left, right and centre to prove me correct.

I am in charge of Villa? That'd be interesting, as for a start the last 3 appointments would not have taken place. I actually know a little bit about Football and understand 2 things certain people who run this football club have glaringly missed in the last 2 years...

1. Appointing a manager, from your closest rivals, who has relegated them playing dire football and thinking it's a good move is nothing short of thickness.

2. If you are going to 'attempt' to re-build a team, you don't just get shot of any experience you may have and rely on a bunch of inept youth graduates and kids from League 1 & 2.

As for who'd replace him - Alan Curbishley. Ex-Villa, knows the club and will get it across to these players what it 'should' mean to pull that shirt on.

His win percentages...

Charlton - 36.89% & 38.52

West Ham - 40.85%

The last & our current Villa managers win percentages...

Alex Mcleish - 21.43%

Paul Lambert - 33.33%

But of course, Curbs has been out the game too long which MUST mean he wouldn't have a scooby.

[VillaForever1970]

Bruce would have us more organised

You really don't get it do you, stop drinking and get a grip!

[Laivasse]

You're an idiot - your point was that Herd and Lowton were not good enough to be back-up CBs. I responded that they were emergency CBs because the other FOUR CBs we had were injured. But out of interest who would you have picked if not Herd and Lowton?

One: stop making the false statement that we've ever had 4 CBs simultaneously injured this season. We haven't. Herd or Lowton come into the team to make up one of the central two when THREE CBs - Dunne, Vlaar, Baker - are out of contention. That three includes Dunne who was on his last legs and injured before Lambert even arrived, which brought Herd or Lowton even closer to being starter CBs, considering Lambert didn't buy enough cover. Discounting Dunne, it only takes two injuries at CB to force us into playing one of Herd/Lowton there. Alternatively all it requires is a terrible 3 CB strategy. Please stop babbling about 'emergency' and 'back-up' nonsense.

Two: I explicitly said I wasn't criticising the decision to pick Herd or Lowton. Is English not your native language? The problem is not that Lambert played Herd or Lowton. The problem was that in the summer window he bought a load of inexperienced kids, instead of one extra reliable CB, and as a result now we are forced to play CBs who can't defend for toffee.

[Shankslad]

A bit of sense copied from a Norwich board:-

"Villa are in a nightmare situation. They can't sack lambert as they will look completely incompetent, especially after the comments when the got him, they also can't replace him with anyone better. And to add that they have only just reached an agreement with city ove compo makes it all too difficult to give him the bullet.

However things can change very quickly, if he wins Saturday he could be within 3 points of us and I fully expect them to hammer Bradford at home and reach the final thus making last nights game irrelevant. Villa are no worse than last year IMO, the competion is just better and they have not improved.

Let's just get the 2-3 quality signings we need to sustain our position and keep ahead of villa. Finish above them and we survive"

I expect Villa to win the 2nd leg but the Southampton game is crucial. Good luck!

[Mantis]

A bit of sense copied from a Norwich board:-

"Villa are in a nightmare situation. They can't sack lambert as they will look completely incompetent, especially after the comments when the got him, they also can't replace him with anyone better. And to add that they have only just reached an agreement with city ove compo makes it all too difficult to give him the bullet.

However things can change very quickly, if he wins Saturday he could be within 3 points of us and I fully expect them to hammer Bradford at home and reach the final thus making last nights game irrelevant. Villa are no worse than last year IMO, the competion is just better and they have not improved.

Let's just get the 2-3 quality signings we need to sustain our position and keep ahead of villa. Finish above them and we survive"

I expect Villa to win the 2nd leg but the Southampton game is crucial. Good luck!

What makes them think we'll hammer Bradford in the second leg? All I can see is a 2-1 or 3-2 win at best.

[VillaCas]

Dunne who was on his last legs and injured before Lambert even arrived

The problem was that in the summer window he bought a load of inexperienced kids, instead of one extra reliable CB

- Dunne was supposedly out for four weeks when Lambert arrived

- I'm sure he would have loved to buy an "extra reliable CB" (lol) but he didn't have the money to spunk £10m on one player

- He bought kids because he had to fill 8 places for £18m - that buys you potential not top quality

- I'm sure he would have loved to have drip-fed the kids into the team and used Ireland, NZog, Delph etc but sadly once he had a look at them they turned out to be shit

Lambert is trying to put right 3 or more years of hopelessness right - it will take 18-24 months

[Big_John_10]

You're an idiot

Hmmm that seems a bit much from someone blindly defending the manager.

[VillaCas]

So you THINK he's a top 10 manager. Trouble is, you have no concrete evidence to back up your opinion.

Whereas I think he's shyte - and believe me, the evidence is stacking up left, right and centre to prove me correct.

I am in charge of Villa? That'd be interesting, as for a start the last 3 appointments would not have taken place. I actually know a little bit about Football and understand 2 things certain people who run this football club have glaringly missed in the last 2 years...

1. Appointing a manager, from your closest rivals, who has relegated them playing dire football and thinking it's a good move is nothing short of thickness.

2. If you are going to 'attempt' to re-build a team, you don't just get shot of any experience you may have and rely on a bunch of inept youth graduates and kids from League 1 & 2.

As for who'd replace him - Alan Curbishley. Ex-Villa, knows the club and will get it across to these players what it 'should' mean to pull that shirt on.

His win percentages...

Charlton - 36.89% & 38.52

West Ham - 40.85%

The last & our current Villa managers win percentages...

Alex Mcleish - 21.43%

Paul Lambert - 33.33%

But of course, Curbs has been out the game too long which MUST mean he wouldn't have a scooby.

And Lambert at Norwich was 50.4%, although to be fair he didn't have to contend with the shambles he inherited here

Curbishly FFS

[VillaForever1970]

Look at this way, the current experience we have is basically championship perhaps maybe even league 1.

So we're asking Lambert to manage a championship side in the premier league hence why it's quite hard.

Back to ranting folks...

[CI]

Lambert has been described as a top 4 manager now downgraded to top 10.

It's laughable .

[smetrov]

A bit of sense copied from a Norwich board:-

"Villa are in a nightmare situation. They can't sack lambert as they will look completely incompetent, especially after the comments when the got him, they also can't replace him with anyone better. And to add that they have only just reached an agreement with city ove compo makes it all too difficult to give him the bullet.

However things can change very quickly, if he wins Saturday he could be within 3 points of us and I fully expect them to hammer Bradford at home and reach the final thus making last nights game irrelevant. Villa are no worse than last year IMO, the competion is just better and they have not improved.

Let's just get the 2-3 quality signings we need to sustain our position and keep ahead of villa. Finish above them and we survive"

I expect Villa to win the 2nd leg but the Southampton game is crucial. Good luck!

To be honest just avoiding defeat against Southampton, would make me feel a lot better. But I can't see southampton not scoring.

I am sure we could have picked up CB for cheaper than £10m. Look at Distin at Everton he's 35 and still doing the business - someone like that to just cover for Vlaar - then used as a squad player. I said at the time starting with only 1 experienced CB was risky.

[Big_John_10]

And who added to that experience problem with his decisions in the summer.

It's yet another very weak excuse.

[MikeMcKenna]

A bit of sense copied from a Norwich board:-

"Villa are in a nightmare situation. They can't sack lambert as they will look completely incompetent, especially after the comments when the got him, they also can't replace him with anyone better. And to add that they have only just reached an agreement with city ove compo makes it all too difficult to give him the bullet.

However things can change very quickly, if he wins Saturday he could be within 3 points of us and I fully expect them to hammer Bradford at home and reach the final thus making last nights game irrelevant. Villa are no worse than last year IMO, the competion is just better and they have not improved.

Let's just get the 2-3 quality signings we need to sustain our position and keep ahead of villa. Finish above them and we survive"

I expect Villa to win the 2nd leg but the Southampton game is crucial. Good luck!

Don't see why an opposite interpretation doesn't make just as much sense...... If we lose on Saturday we are in deep shit. If we do not get the right result against Bradford we will be further humiliated.

I do not understand why the positive interpretation is "a bit of sense" whereas the reverse isn't it. As it stands & based on form alone there is every chance these will go against us.

[LondonLax]

Look at this way, the current experience we have is basically championship perhaps maybe even league 1.

So we're asking Lambert to manage a championship side in the premier league hence why it's quite hard.

Back to ranting folks...

This was the managers own express policy. He is responsible for only signing young players instead of some experience and now we are paying the price for his mistakes.

[VillaCas]

In the last 6 games we have conceded 21 goals and scored 4. I'm sorry but how on earth can you make excuses for the manager for that? How can you blame everyone but him?

I don't think he is blameless. I think he has made mistakes and would do some things differently with the benefit of hindsight. I haven't got blind faith in him - I expected him to do better but the fact he hasn't says more to me about the size of the challenge than the calibre of PL.

I'm worried not because he is a bad manager but because I think he is a good manager - let's say that instead of Lambert being here, say Roberto Mancini had been appointed - he would have the same meagre resources and the same need to cut the wage bill - do you think that we would be much further up the table? I don't

At the moment PL is making do with a very very poor squad. We can all second guess, who he has bought and who he should have bought, but I really think he expected more from the likes of Bent, Ireland, Delph, Nzog etc - they let him down and he was forced to play more of his purchases, sooner than he thought. Lowton, Vlaar, Westwood, Guzan and Benteke (who needs to buck his ideas up) look good aquisitions. Bennett i think will be good but needs confidence (it is a horrible situation for a young player to come into). Bowery was bought for the future. KEA has not looked a good buy so far (that happens)

I expect PL to sign 4 or 5 in this window - probably again a mix of abroad and lower leagues but maybe RL will see the need to invest a tiny bit more and they will be the next level up

If once the new players arrive and bed in we go on a similar run to the last 5 games I will join you in criticism of PL but I very much hope that won't happen. It's sad that people who previously supported PL seem to be turning but I understand it. In reality football is not black and white - a tiny shift in confidence could make all the difference. NOT EXCUSES but if Benteke had put those first two chances away you can imagine everything may have turned out different

You're very much within your right to criticise but for me it is aimed at the wrong person - RL failed to control MON, made an odd appt with Houllier and a terrible one with McL

I'll back PL for the time being to sort it out

[LondonLax]

I don't think he is blameless. I think he has made mistakes and would do some things differently with the benefit of hindsight. I haven't got blind faith in him - I expected him to do better but the fact he hasn't says more to me about the size of the challenge than the calibre of PL.

I'm worried not because he is a bad manager but because I think he is a good manager - let's say that instead of Lambert being here, say Roberto Mancini had been appointed - he would have the same meagre resources and the same need to cut the wage bill - do you think that we would be much further up the table? I don't

At the moment PL is making do with a very very poor squad. We can all second guess, who he has bought and who he should have bought, but I really think he expected more from the likes of Bent, Ireland, Delph, Nzog etc - they let him down and he was forced to play more of his purchases, sooner than he thought. Lowton, Vlaar, Westwood, Guzan and Benteke (who needs to buck his ideas up) look good aquisitions. Bennett i think will be good but needs confidence (it is a horrible situation for a young player to come into). Bowery was bought for the future. KEA has not looked a good buy so far (that happens)

I expect PL to sign 4 or 5 in this window - probably again a mix of abroad and lower leagues but maybe RL will see the need to invest a tiny bit more and they will be the next level up

If once the new players arrive and bed in we go on a similar run to the last 5 games I will join you in criticism of PL but I very much hope that won't happen. It's sad that people who previously supported PL seem to be turning but I understand it. In reality football is not black and white - a tiny shift in confidence could make all the difference. NOT EXCUSES but if Benteke had put those first two chances away you can imagine everything may have turned out different

You're very much within your right to criticise but for me it is aimed at the wrong person - RL failed to control MON, made an odd appt with Houllier and a terrible one with McL

I'll back PL for the time being to sort it out

A well reasoned post.